{"id":1164,"date":"2025-12-06T21:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/?p=1164"},"modified":"2025-12-06T21:16:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T21:16:13","slug":"december-6th-santa-nicklaus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/december-6th-santa-nicklaus\/","title":{"rendered":"St Nicholas & Boy Bishops December 6th"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
St Nicholas saving citizens from poisoned olive oil. Detail of painting by Margarito of Arezzo. National Gallery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Santa Klaus was, originally a 4th Century Bishop from Asia Minor who saved three girls from prostitution. He throw golden balls through their window enabling the girls to marry with a good dowry and live a moral life. Saint Nicholas, also, saved three boys from beheading. So he became the patron saint of children. He died on the 6th of December in Myra, present day Turkey. From the moment of his internment, his tomb flowed with myrrh. There are many other miracles. Once St Nicholas appeared on a storm tossed boat and saved the sailors. Another has him saving people from poisoned olive oil. (see picture above.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1087, the Normans from Apulia raided Myra, then under the control of the Seljuk Turks. The gang of 67 men stole the Saint’s remains, to bring them to Bari, in Southern Italy. Bari already had 6 churches dedicated to St Nicolas. In 1969, Pop Paul VI revoked his Feast Day as he decided there was no evidence St Nicholas was a real person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, he is the ‘patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, toymakers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe’ (Wikipedia). He is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s all about the Balls<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Representation of the balls can still be seen hanging in front of pawnbroker’s shops. The gifts Nicholas gave led to the exchange of gifts to honour him. Originaly, gift giving took place on December 6th, his feast day. The Dutch took the tradition of Santa Klaus to the United States. Here it mixed with other traditions, including the English Father Christmas, to create our modern spirit of Christmas, and Santa Klaus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boy Bishops <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
By Unknown author – fullhomelydivinity.org, Public Domain,
https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=6709993<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The idea of Boy Bishops may come from a tradition established by Saturnalia. This was the festival, in the Roman world, when servants exchanged duties with their masters and mistresses. Tthe Lord of Misrule presided over Medieval Christmas. While Church ceremonises were presided over by Boy Bishops. The tradition was attacked in some quarters but defended by others. They felt it engendered empathy. had an element of humanity and instigated seasonal fun. The Boy Bishops were elected on December 6th. Their reign might continue until Childermas<\/a> (Holy Innocents Day December 28th). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The custom was stopped by Henry VIII. It was then revived and is still practised to this day in the Cathedrals of Hereford and Salisbury. The Boy Bishops wears full ceremonial gear and takes part in ceremonies and services for three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boy Bishops in London<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are also medieval records that speak of the custom:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201ctwo children\u2019s copes, also a myter of cloth of gold set with stones.\u201d
1549 \u201cFor 12 oz. silver, being clasps of books and the bishop\u2019s mitre,<\/p>\nSt. Mary-at-Hill, London Church Accounts<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe vj myter of Seynt Nycholas bysshoppe, the grounde therof of whyte sylk,
garnysshed complete with ffloures, gret and small, of sylver and gylte, and stones<\/p>\nWestminster Abbey, St Pauls & St Nicholas Cole Abbey London inventories<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Also records at St Pauls record: una mitra alba cum flosculis breudatis ad opus episcopi parvulorum baculus ad usum episcopi parvulorum;’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St Nicholas Cole Abbey in the City of London has an inventory dating to the Reformation that records vestments for children at St Nicholas. The Church is first mentioned in the 12th Century and was never an Abbey. The Cole part of the name refers to a ‘Coldharbour’ which was a traveller’s or poor persons shelter from the cold. The Church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire. This is, probably, the location where Trotty Veck stands awaiting employment as a messenger or runner, in Dickens’s second greatest Christmas Book after the Christmas Carol. The story is more a New Year story than a Christmas story. (I tell the story in my post here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on boy bishops look at this<\/a>, and look at this 1935 film about Boy ~Bishops in Compton, Guildford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n